Tuesday 1 May 2007: Heidi and Sarah take you back to a year ago today...and wish you Belgians a happy RED MAY DAY!

Sarah says: HAPPY 1ST OF MAY! The flowers above are 1st of May flowers here in Belgium. This is Labour Day here in Belgium. Here you can read what's on the minds of the Belgian Socialists today.
Sarah adds: So above you can see Heidi and Yma - and also please note the photo Heidi added below for Sunday's entry showing off her cleavage... - It seems Heidi's computer and internet connection are working again because here she is! Too bad she didn't leave a comment. I think she's thinking the following while taking the above photo: "Look up YMA, look up...smile YMA, smile...coochie coochie coo YMA, coochie cochie coo... Notice my new couch everyone - the leather one I am sitting on - isn't it pretty! I love it! It's perfect! (In Dutch of course)..."Sarah continues: And above you can see me all decked out in red to honor the socialists and workers of course! After painting our attic hallway and cleaning up some rooms around this mess of a house, we'll head out to the May Day events in Kortrijk and see some gigs. It's sunny and it's great to have a free day! Maybe I'll run into Heidi at the concerts...

Sarah adds:

Check out Heidi and me a year ago today wrapped in the red flag to celebrate the 1st of May - the day of the workers here in Belgium! You want to know what we were up to a year ago today, click here! Notice our hats and winter coats last year! It was cold outside and rainy and I had a back ache and Heidi was pregnant and feeling unwell. We both left the May Day festivities early and chose our beds over all else at that time! I think Heidi had only recently found out she was pregnant and I had only recently found out that my back condition would require major surgery... And look at us now! I am healed and Heidi has a little baby! Wow time flies when you are having fun!

Monday 30 June 2007: Sarah plays clothes designer with her kid and red barbie...Heidi's computer connection is fixed so she'll be back online!

Sarah says:
Just a quicky today! No time to chat. Didn't have my camera today so couldn't get a pic with Heidi sadly! But as of today not only does Heidi have a brand new couch, but also a brand new internet connection at home! So now she can get back online at home sometimes and upload her photos from home when she gets the chance - perhaps on days like tomorrow when we probably won't see each other...
So today was sort of a non-day with tomorrow the 1st being a holiday here in Belgium and all. It's always nice to have a day off. I will enjoy it with my husband and kid. I had fun with my kid tonight. She loves it when I make her Barbie clothes. Tonight our theme was denim as you can see below. It's like that outfit they used to advertise on TV back in the day - in the 80s - it was basic black, had no zippers or buttons. It was some pieces of fabric and fabric wraps and belts that you could use to mold this thing into about 36 different outfits. That's my approach to making Barbie clothes and I must say... not too bad... My daughter thought they were the cat's pyjamas and that's all that matters! Notice how I even matched Barbie to my chair to make for a nice visual!

STAY TUNED FOR TOMORROW'S FIRST OF THE MONTH FLASHBACK PHOTO!

Sunday April 29 2007: Sarah and "Marv" play Chutes and Ladders and stop and smell the flowers on this lovely Sunday of Post Secrets to think about...

Sarah says:
My husband is away, so my secret sweetheart Marv snuck in and helped me with the new ladder my husband happily bought this morning. We had fun playing Chutes and Ladders on it. It felt dangerous! It got me sort of scared of insecure heights. We have to paint that hallway/stairway. It's all that is left of the attic area to do. We are almost there! Then we can start with the next big thing. Luckily I have Marv to escape married/domestic life with. I don't know what I would do without him. Marv is the best! Look at the flowers below he gave me. Actually my kid stole those pretty daisies from her school party yesterday, the little thief! They are pretty though and make our home feel like summer!

Sarah adds: The Post Secret entry that I chose to put here this week is a really hard-hitter as you can see below. This person's first secret of molestation is bad enough but to throw on top of that the fact that he/she killed the molester - BANG! That's a heavy one to see up there on the Post Secret site. If the person who really sent that is carrying these secrets around, that's so sad and painful. You can almost grasp why a child who was molested could grow up and want to seek revenge. It's the most awful of crimes to be molested at the hands of an adult if you ask me. Any adult who does this to a child deserves to be killed - again, if you ask me. I can't believe how easily pedophiles get out of jail and back to their lives. It makes me so sick and puts me in a rage to imagine people harming children. It's an awful thought to know that in many countries, molestation is almost normal - that there are no boundaries drawn. It's frightening to be a parent knowing that these things can happen. It makes me totally sick. I wonder if the person who sent that Post Secret card feels any relief from killing his/her molester. I wonder if this person will ever heal. I wonder if you can live with murder even if it feels justified. I wonder if the postcard is indeed true if it's being posted on Post Secret will re-open investigations.. But then again, if everything is secret, I guess nobody will ever know. Then again, imagine if the Post Secret people felt obliged to send that postcard to the police and through tests and investigations they were able to find the person who wrote it. Would that be awful? I think it would. Then again, such secrets, starting with molestation are AWFUL! To carry that sort of secret around...ughhh... so this person must still suffer with it all. I wonder if the postcard is a cry for help - a cry to finally break the secrets! To be caught... All those different shames and guilts... So sad...
Sarah continues: The below Post Secret entry also caught my eye, the Jew that I am. I get a good laugh out of Jewish jokes - let's take the recently quoted ones by Larry David and Borat - I find that sort of thing hilarious. But indeed if the person making the Jewish joke is Jewish her/himself, it does sort of justify the joke and make it less offensive or unoffensive. I wonder if the person who sent in the below postcard is a Jewish person. It never occurred to me that people might be offended by Jewish jokes if a Jew is telling them - but then again, that is pretty naive! It's a good reminder to be careful of what you say because you never know who you'll offend. On the other hand, we are all far too "precious" most of the time and a lot of people simply have no sense of humor to see the funny in it all - and that can drive me crazy. I saw that with people's reactions to the Borat movie. I was surprised that it really offended a lot of people I know - Catholic people - not practicing Catholics or anything -- just people - okay Belgians - some Belgians - others like Heidi enjoyed it very much. They thought Borat went too far - didn't see the funny in it. Every Jew I know pretty much got a huge laugh out of it. Anyway - humor is a tricky thing, so be careful out there! Check the Post Secret site this week via this link. There are a lot of goodies on there - a lot of provocative ones. I still haven't seen my secret on there. My one secret in the whole world, which three people already know. It's a funny/ gross one - not a heavy one, in case you are wondering...

Sarah goes on: And below are a couple of simply funny ones from this week's Post Secret! The below one just makes me wonder --- how? That wouldn't be possible for me!!! Too many people around. Nice idea though! Would make the days more "fulfilling"! Wait a second - while writing this something popped into my head. I used to know someone who told me she did this sort of thing - easily, with lots of people around. Wouldn't that be funny if it were her postcard. I'm gonna get in touch with her and ask her! More power to you whomever wrote that!

and on... And the below one is just funny. I used to think my dogs were watching. I wonder what animals make of all that! I would love to know.... Cats are smart. They probably have a grasp on it. Wasn't there a good story about that. About a dog that saw a murder or something - an affair and a murder - and helped crack the case somehow... If you know what book or movie that is, let me know...

THAT'S ALL - I'm done now! Happy Sunday!

Saturday 28 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah say goodbye to their favorite lunchbreak place - BIO Planet in Kortrijk....

Sarah says:
Bio Planet's restaurant in Kortrijk is closed as of today so Heidi and I went -as did a bunch of friends - for our last meal there. Heidi and I have gone to Bio Planet for lunch at least once a week when time has allowed. We have enjoyed so many sheep-cheese sandwiches there. It has been such a cozy place to go. The staff have always been so friendly. It's always a good feeling when the people who work at a restaurant know you a bit and you know them. Plus you always see the same people there all the time. It's been homey and nice. Heidi and I our really going to miss Bio Planet. Below you can see some of the staff. The two in the photo below are now both going to be working at the Bio Planet in Gent. Heidi and I will have to make sure to go there every now and then! It won't be the same but it will make us nostalgic! Luckily it's a season now with good weather so Heidi and I can spend our lunch breaks outside in various spots around Kortrijk. But come the winter, we'll be in search of a new weekly eating place that's cozy and homey and has healthy and delicious food - like Bio Planet! Bye Bio Planet! Thanks for all the good meals, coffees and lunch breaks!!

Sarah adds: Above you can see a bunch of us eating outside at Bio Planet. It was a sunny lunchtime and day! A good meal was had by all!

Sarah continues: And above you can see my kid in her open-door day outfit. She performed a great dance and she did so well. I was so proud of her. I didn't know she could dance so well and be so confident on stage before a very large crowd. She looked all grown up! After that I washed dishes for 4 hours and both my daughter and I were so tired when we left the school at 8pm. We grabbed some Chinese take-out and plopped down on the couch like sacks of potatoes! I think I'll go to sleep right away. Man I'm tired. But it's been a good day. My daughter goes to a lovely school and it is so nice to see her in her own element amongst friends - feeling so good and behaving well and being a bright, little sunshine! We have a good life. I am so happy she is happy....

Friday 27 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah want you to meet Special Face The Day guests baby Amber, Pa Den and Ma Nancy and Sarah shares family portraits

heidi says:
Heidi says 'shut the fuck up!'. Oops, sorry! I was quoting from the song :"Simon sayz: shut the fuck up!". Didn't mean to be hostile. Today I have a new wave of energy. New hair, new face (well, it is the result of a facial yesterday evening, so not a completely new face). I feel better than the last days. And it is weekend on top of that! Yma here I come! Olijf (maybe) here I come! If everything goes well, Yma will have her first swimming lesson tomorrow morning. Ok, not really swimming lesson, but it is a groups lesson in which babies learn to be in the pool and they have to get used to the water, so when they are older and really learn to swim, they are not afraid. I will love that so much, to see my little baby girl with her little swimming trunks (blue with pink flamingos) in the big swimming pool.

Sarah says:
I think Heidi looked just fine in her before picture yesterday! But she looks fab today after a facial and haircut. It's a new fresher her. I was waiting for her to cut her hair. I mean she had a baby not so long ago. It was really time for her to cut her hair like every new mother ends up doing... HAHAHAHAHA Just joking Heidi - I know you would have done it anyway, new mother or not!
Sarah continues:
Isn’t that little baby of Den and Nancy’s cute as can be?! She looks so human already. Like a mini-person. Heidi and I stopped by to see our colleague Nancy at lunch today. We got to see Amber in the sunshine surrounded by bright pink flowers. It’s such a sunny, warm day again here in rainy Belgium. Heidi and I are loving it. And it’s Friday and the weekend is so close! My weekend will be all about my kid. First, it’s her school’s open door day and then it’s her youth club family feast –so that takes care of Saturday and Sunday. Tonight she’ll demand we watch Idool 2007 – which is okay with me as it’s fun watching it with her (She's voting for this girl Kim). I just don’t like that she’s already “addicted” to a TV show. But TV sure is a magnet for all ages. My friend ASG turned me on to this TV link. Trouble with it is it’s not 100% reliable. But when it does work, it’s great actually. It leads you to episodes of all sorts of shows. Click here and try it out! Anyway – I should not be encouraging TV watching. It’s sunny! We should all be outside drinking cold Belgian Leffe’s on terraces! Lately, we have been getting quotes not only on new windows but also for total renovation of our house’s facade. It’s crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! So expensive. It’s stressful to even think about. We really need to win the lottery fast!!! The only non-stressful part about it is imagining how grand our house will look when all renewed. It will be magnificent! Maybe like this house here done by a company from near where we live. Imagine!!! Okay - our house isn't that big - but it's a similar style. It will be amazing! Here is another one sort of like ours. If you click here you can see a before and after. Again, not the same but indeed the same style. With a facade cleaning and new windows - wow! But it'll never happen -- unless the lottery is won by us!!!!

And check out my latest family portraits just in! We had to sit for hours as the photographer tried to get the best shots! The one right below is fantastic! It really captures all of our essences if I do say so myself. It shows our real selves. We are even more beautiful than I thought. If anyone wants the name of our photographer, let me know. He's known for his "realist" work.

Sarah adds: The below photo is the last one the photographer took that day. We were all totally knackered by then. Sweaty and not looking our best. It was so hot after a while we literally looked like we were melting. I always hate how my "bucked-teeth" and overbite come out in photos. I think the photographer did a great job in hiding them. I mean even the rejects are good enough to keep and hang on the wall...

HEIDI AND SARAH WISH Y'ALL A WONDERFUL WEEKENDS FULL OF HOT FUN IN THE SUN AND LOTS OF FLOWER POWER!!!!

Thursday 26 April 2007 part two: Later that day Heidi and Sarah melt and morph from too much sun and quiche poisoning...

Sarah moans:

Oh me oh my, whatever has happened to our faces. Too much sun is obviously no good for the skin. Thankfully Heidi will have had a facial by tomorrow and might be restored to normal. Me, I'm stuck like this forever! I have to give credit to my brother who let me know about this "liquify" program under "filter" in Photoshop. What fun I will have with this! Thanks NSM! IAVPOY! Anyone of y'all out there who wants me to morph you like this, let me know. If I don't have your photo, send me one and I'll mess you up real good!

Thursday 26 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah have Fun in the Sun You got it! Fun in the Sun Everybody! Fun in the Sun Woo...

Heidi says: the sun, oh, the sun! What a treat this time of year! I know it isn't supposed to be like this, so hot at this time of year, but I can't help but enjoy this weather. And OH MY GOD – Sarah made the BEST quiche in the world today for lunch!! She is the best cook I have ever known. She really needs to open a soup, salad and quiche restaurant. I’d go there everyday for lunch or better yet, I’d work there too! God I love Sarah! The purple text wasn't written by me! :) Just so you know. I did like the lunch very very much, thank you Sarah!! :)

Sarah says:
It’s a sunny day again, a spectacularly sunny day again. We sat on my stoop today at lunch and basked in the sunshine once again. This weather will last until Monday at least! My sister-in-law sent me this lovely link to this fantastic Dove commercial-thingy. You should click on it and check it out. I think it’s an ad on TV here in Belgium because I remember seeing it before. It’s so fabulously to the freaking point in terms of how much we are fooled by all the cover girls in the magazines and how all this image manipulation messes with our minds and our self-images. It’s so simple – I see such an ad and immediately I already don’t feel so badly about the pimples on my chin and my round face and my uneven skin. If only such “real” images could be ever-present in advertisements. We’d all love ourselves a lot more I am sure! But it’s an old story and it never changes. Like I have said before, sadly, when I see larger women in ads, the things they are advertising do indeed catch my eye less quickly and appeal to me less – and these women can even look like me. But I, like so many others, have been so conditioned to think my body type is ugly and my skin isn’t perfect enough and I am too hairy and all that. It’s screwed up. I think even tougher on kids today… Anyway – make sure to check out the link by clicking here!
And OH MY GOD – I made the BEST quiche in the world today for lunch!! I am the best cook I have ever known. I really need to open a soup, salad and quiche restaurant. I’d go there everyday for lunch or better yet, I’d work there too! God I love myself!

Wednesday 25 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah will have a vanilla... one of those vanilla bullshit things...some vanilla bullshit latte cappa thing

Sarah says:
Heidi and I are shadow dancers above and snow whites below admiring our reflections and the fact that we are “assorti” - we are in “close counterpart”. We correspond well in terms of colors and styles. We match! We match a lot lately… like a couple growing old together…

Sarah says (in a Larry David Medly thanks to this site...):
I'll have a vanilla... one of those vanilla bullshit things. You know, whatever you want, some vanilla bullshit latte cappa thing. Whatever you got. What's in this latte? Oh my god. Milk and coffee. I never would have thought of that. That's so brilliant. Hey, I may loathe myself, but it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm Jewish. Fuck Hugh. Fuck Huuuuugh. You know anything about changing a tire? Wanna help me change a tire here? No? I could use a little help. I need a little assistance. I never took a shop class, and I need a little help. Ok, I'm just coming flat out and saying 'help me'. Anybody want to help a semi-retarded individual change a tire? 25, 30 dollars. 30 dollars to change this tire. 35 dollars to change this tire right now. I'll give you 10 dollars for a verbal response. 10 dollars. Anybody want to make 10 dollars and respond verbally? No? I fired the black man... because... he's the guy who set up the whole system here and it doesn't work! And he's here like... every week, I'm givin' him checks, we've got five remotes, I can't turn it on... but I know, you know, *black* man can *never* do anything *wrong*, at least to get fired from a job! Black people *always* do everything right! It's not every day that you get to be affectionate around something German, it just doesn't happen that often. Was that a barn? Was that a barn? I think it was too small to be a barn, it looked more like a stable. There was a cow there, does that mean... what? That it could have been a barn? There's no cows in barns. There's cows on a farm. Are there always barns on farms? There are stables in farms, right, but not necessarily barns? I don't think that was the barn. Hear the birds? Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm deaf and I try to imagine what it's like not to be able to hear them. It's not that bad. You ever had a fresh grape? Huh? I've had... I've had fresh *apples*. Never had a fresh *grape*. Never... had a fresh *cherry*. Never had a fresh *pear*. Never *seen* a pear. Never saw a pear outside of a fruit stand.

Heidi says: having fun with the camera! See how Yma had the chicken pocks a few days ago! She remains very cute of course! biting her moms nose (it is big enough)...

Tuesday 24 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah have a happy time but no sexy time as they do the Borat…In my country, they would go crazy for these two…

Sarah says (in the voice and medley of words from Borat himself):
Jak sie masz? My name Borat. I like you. I like sex. Is nice! You are a retard? May George Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq! What's up, vanilla face? Whoawhoawewa! I feel like American movie star Dirty Harold... Go ahead, make my day, Jew... The lips of her vagine hang low like wizard's sleeve. I arrived in America's airport with clothings, U.S dollars and a jar of gypsy tears to protect me from AIDS. What kind of car can I buy that attract woman with hairless vagine?He is my neighbor, Nushuktan Tulyiagby, he is pain in my assholes. I get a window from a glass, he must get a window from a glass. I get a step, he must get a step. I get a clock-radio, he cannot afford. Great success! He insist we not fly, in case the Jews repeated their attack of 9/11. Quick children, smash the Jew egg! You telling me the man who try to put a rubber fist in my anus was a homosexual? Although Kazakhstan a glorious country, it have a problem, too: economic, social and Jew. America national sport is called baseballs. It very similar to our sport, shurik, where we take dogs, shoot them in a field and then have a party.In U.S. and A. they treat horses like we in Kazakhstan treat our women. They feed them two times a day. They have them sleep on straw in a small box. And for entertainment, they make them jump over fences while being whipped.Very sorry to interrupt politic. Might I make a shit in your house?Every Englishman must have a hobby. Some like to collect the stamp, some like to make the jam, but the most fun is to a kill a little animal with a shotgun or rip them up with wild dog.Throw the Jew down the well,So my country can be free,You must grab him by the horns,Then we have a big party.

Heidi says:
We have happy time here. You can see in our faces. It is the coffees inde my hand that makes happy. Now I tireds. I slept good but not helps.

Sarah adds: Sorry about all that above. I am in a Borat Mood. Once his words get into your head you can't escape them for a few hours. It's the same with Little Britain skits and comedy quotes such as -- I look into tit when I be back... Heidi and I are in the mood for comedy today. She just borrowed ASG's Borat DVD from me and now she's on the Borat train. She really needs to see Little Britain. Tomorrow I think I'll quote Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm in my comment. I have nothing to say this week so I'll let comics with great wisdom do most of the talking for me. Maybe I'll even throw in some great quotes of wisdom from Adama senior from Battlestar Galactica... The picture above -- Heidi's and my feet in the same dang shoes again... As you can see, I need a pedicure and new polish and a tan and major leg cream and a waxing though shaving is the only possibility because in the summer waxing would mean to grow all those black, thick hairs out till they are long enough to wax - so I'll skip that and stick to winter waxing and summer shaving... Now isn't that interesting?!

Sarah adds one last thing: Check out me and Heidi above earlier today... She hurt herself and I have been pushing her around in her wheelchair and giving her lots of hugs and love to make her feel better. She keeps saying: "yeah, I know" to everything, like a broken record. I mean - I asked her if she wanted her favorite chocolate ice-cream and she said that she wanted vanilla instead! I warned her she didn't like vanilla and she insisted on it. Then I got it for her and she said "I don't like it". She's driving me mad...

Monday 23 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah have that not-so-good Monday feeling and not much to tell you no doubt…

Heidi says: Sneeze. Itch. tired. Old.

Sarah says:
It’s definitely Monday. Even though I am taking the same drug Heidi is, I don’t feel very awake right now. I could sleep a whole day! I actually feel like watching TV all day or something lazy and cozy like that. But that would end up annoying me too. More than that, I can’t say today…

Sarah adds:Forgot to say above that ever since I have been taking this vitamin thingy (neogenyl action)that Heidi says fills you up with energy, my tongue has been staying purple for a long time after drinking my daily blueberry smoothie in the morning. It’s as if the liquid vitamin thing affixes things to your lips and tongue like glue. It takes a while for it to fade. I have about 18 more bottles to go so if I look strange for a while, that will be why…

And last but not least: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ONE-YEAR OLD FRE!

Sunday 22 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah look beautiful today, enjoy the sun, their little families, their friends and their daughters…

Sarah says:
Don’t Heidi and I look mysterious, clean, fresh and crisp up there in the sun surrounded by green? Not to mention beautiful… What a LOVELY, SUNNY day!
Sarah adds:
Don’t Marv (shhh…don’t tell my husband I had a picnic and hung out in the sun for 5 hours with my lover again as my daughter and husband were away…) and I look mysterious, clean, fresh and crisp up there in the sun surrounded by green? Not to mention beautiful… What a LOVELY, SUNNY day!
Sarah continues:
Don’t Heidi, Yma, Katrijn, Yana, Ayla and I look mysterious, clean, fresh and crisp up there in the sun surrounded by green? Not to mention beautiful… What a LOVELY, SUNNY day!
Sarah continues:
Speaking of our wonderful, amazing, beautiful, lovely, incredible, funny, spectacular daughters whom you see up there in that photo of Heidi and her Yma, Katrijn and her Yana and me and my Ayla – well, they will grow up to be teenagers sooner than we know it! Ayla will be 8 in one week! She acts like a teenager half the time! I am not ready to have an actual teenager. The above Post Secret entry of this week I chose scares me. I tell my kid all the time that she is being a drama queen, which she is. Right now, she is young enough to laugh it off most of the time. The rest of the time she cries when I say that. At what point does that switch over to her hating me for calling her a dram queen? To her internalizing everything and becoming a broody teenager who feels misunderstood and slams doors? We were all teenagers. I was a pretty bad teenager up to no good a lot of the time but with enough moral fiber (for lack of a better description) and smarts to prevent me from falling through the cracks! I am sure all of our daughters will get through their teenage years and all that. It’s just scary to think about. Luckily we have some time until those rocky years come but some of the teenage behavior is already showing its face… And like sand through the hourglass, so are The Days Of Our Lives…

Saturday 21 April 2007: Sarah wants you to meet Face The Day baby guests Bavo and Seil and to check out her eyebrows and new dress… No Heidi today!

Sarah says:
Look at these cuties! I’d like to introduce Bavo and Seil – the two lovely babies of my husband’s old friend Filip and his wife Leen. We had a delicious dinner at their place and got to meet Seil for the first time. These kids are so very blond and blue-eyed. They are adorable and smiley. These days it’s baby crazy around here! Every day it seems there is a new baby of someone I or Heidi knows. A Face The Day Baby Boom!

Saturday was a nice day because I spent it with my husband and daughter and we had a good time together doing errands and enjoying the good weather. The day started with my getting my eyebrows plucked as you can see below – my eyebrow shots are always the same so here I offer you another angle for once... And I put on my newest dress to celebrate the good weather! Now that I don’t have back pain, I am really in the mood for dresses. Bright, colorful ones. I don’t feel like a sack of potatoes dragging my arse around anymore. I feel awake and alive! Yee Haw!

No Heidi today, which is sad! We have been on a roll lately, finally… Oh well, she’ll have her computer up and running again soon and hopefully will throw some photos on here on the weekends.

Friday 20 April 2007: Heidi and Sarah sing: I love you, you love me, homosexuality - people think we're just friends but we're really lesbians...HAHA

Heidi says: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Sarah says:
Heidi and I are laughing so much because we looked like a real lesbian couple while taking this photo. I was practically on her lap and anyone watching us without seeing the camera could have thought we were cuddling up to one another a little too close in a great big space that didn’t call for that proximity. It was funny. We caught ourselves. I’m sure plenty of people could think we are a couple – a couple of loud-mouth giggling freaks! I wish I were attracted to women sometimes. I really do. Not to Heidi, though I find her very, very attractive – but just to women in general. If I were attracted to Heidi, that would cause problems! If I were attracted to women that would also cause problems in this stage of my married and mother-life. There have been three women I have been attracted to in my life as more than just a friend. Two real ones and one movie star. The strange thing is all three of them really looked alike and sort of looked like me in terms of general features, body-shape, etcetera. This was only during my teenage years. I haven’t been attracted to a woman since then and back then it probably was just that teenage curiosity. But who knows. I’ll probably never know. It’s spring and well, there are a lot of men out there I am finding very attractive my oh my! Luckily I am a loyal wife who would never cheat on my husband without telling him beforehand and breaking up beforehand. I love my husband so much right now (and always) – no sign of breaking up at all anytime soon even after 12 years together, woo hoo! He has a bad toothache, the poor guy. I hate seeing him suffer in pain! Man was he so there for me all these years I have been in pain. He is the best support and most lovely man I have ever known! And he is as much female, I’d say, as I am male – so we match well in that way (he’s got bigger hips than I do and I have my little beard patch as you know!)!

Last night, I was watching one of these programs – no wait – this morning – it was on Dr. Phil, which I happily caught before work – anyway – Dr. Phil was telling a guest that because he came from a family of multiple divorces and step-parents that his programming led him to approach his own marriage as one that was destined to fail and that required friction to function. All he knew was friction in marriage and break-up and difficulty – so his marriage could only reflect that until he learned how to break that way of thinking and functioning. It made me think about myself and how lucky I am that even though I come from a family of many divorces and much early-on friction and difficulty – I don’t feel one bit that my marriage is destined to fail and be difficult. Quite the contrary actually. I feel like I took all the bad examples and decided early on that I would not repeat old mistakes I had witnessed and lived through. So far so good but you can never be completely certain and maybe this is just me being naive. I just feel so lucky to be so lucky I guess! Who would have thought! Luckily! Anyway – back to Heidi and me being lesbians. We’re not. We’re just idiots. Egotistical idiots.

Thursday 19 April 2007: Spring is in the air! And Oscar Charlie Dionisio Smith is adorable! And Sarah has no eyes!

Heidi says: I am full of energy, and I was wondering where that energy came from. I can only think of two things: spring and caffeine. I think it is a mix of both. Oh wait a minute, there is one more thing: Neogenyl action!!!!! hahahaha. That is a vitamin complex that I have been taking the last two weeks, and man, it makes me awake and vivid! Long live Neagenyl action! hahahaha!

Sarah says:
My eyes! My eyes! I'm blind! I'm blind! Check out how Heidi and I have the same dang sweater on! We keep wearing similar things. It's becoming silly! I fed Heidi today and little does she know I laced the food with speed as I like to do sometimes. It's a quick pick-me-up! It's a manic day. Mania abounds. We are going nutty. Mine is a quiet sort of nut. I have been sleeping so badly. But I am awake nonetheless. It's like I am running on some energy I didn't know I had. My back feels amazing! I feel NO PAIN at all since my operation 4 months ago other than in my wound sometimes. Even that pain in my side seems to be gone. I am so happy!!!!!!

Check out Face The Day google hits Erika Dionisio, Neil Smith and their baby born on Friday the 13th, Oscar Charlie Dionisio Smith. I finally got to talk to Erika last night and she sounds great and I finally got some more photos and look at this baby!!!! He's beautiful! I am so happy for them!!!!!!

Wednesday 18 April 2007: Olijf is born!!!

Heidi says: OLIJF IS BORN YESTERDAY! She is the daughter of my good good friends Barbara and Karel! I am so proud of them! LONG LIVE OLIJF!!!! (Olive in English)

That's all folks! But I can't bring you better news than this anyway!

Sarah says:
So you want to know how I did on my Dutch exam, do ya? Well, it was no exam!!!! GRRRRR! He went around the room and asked us what the simple past and past participle of the irregular verbs was. I think I answered on about 5 verbs – all correct except I pronounced “dronk” more like “drank” – but oh well. I was seriously hoping for a big test with sentences and all that to be written! I feel cheated! So my new plan is while I have all these verbs fresh in my dumb head is that I will make my own exam for myself and I will take it and I will grade it. I know what you are thinking – that’s cheating! Nope – it’s not so easy to cheat on this kind of test. Basically, I will make a list of all of the infinitives of all of the irregular verbs – out of order to mess with my mind a bit. Then I will require myself to make a question and an answer for each in the simple past and using the past participle. With the simple past, I’ll require myself to write two questions and answers actually – one in the singular and one in the plural. I will give myself a time limit. I will not allow myself to talk or look at my notes during my test. I will grade my own test and believe me, I won’t do myself any favors! I will give the results to myself when they are ready. I will let you know what grade I give myself. I will dress like and talk like a teacher when administering myself the test. And I will dress like and act like a student when I am taking the test. Welcome to my Dutch-irregular-verb-past-tense-exam-FANTASY! I will pass this test with flying colors. You will all be so proud. You’ll say: “Finally! After more than 12 freaking years of living in Belgium she finally knows her irregular past tense!” I’ll celebrate my wonderful results by buying myself some new clothes! I’ll walk and talk proudly! You’ll all be so impressed. And the, sadly, I’ll wake up – as dumb as ever!!!! As I told ASG yesterday, I am a bad, bad student. I can no longer retain any information. All I retain these days is water I’m afraid! Boo Hoo!

Check out our dresses again! I even have long boots on today. I am transformed! Ever since my back operation, I can wear nice clothes again – dresses! Be feminine! Not limp around in pain and comfortable clothes. I want to wear a dress everyday now! Oh life is grand with a good back and no pain! I am loving it! I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Tuesday 17 April 2007: See the face of Oscar Charles Dionisio Smith!

Heidi says: I am so tired! Yma has the chicken pocks and it takes 20 minutes to put drying fluid and menthol talc on them in the morning. I had to rush this morning, even though I was up before 6:30. Babies eh! Wouldn't wanna miss Yma anymore though! Every evening when I get her back, from the moment she sees me and hears my voice, she starts to kick her little legs and shake her little arms up and down and yells with her little 'helium' voice (we call her voice that, because she sounds like she has been inhaling helium): 'eh! eh!'. She is too damn cute for words!

Sarah says:
I am such an idiot! I suggested to my Dutch teacher and class two weeks ago that when we return from our Easter Break we have an exam on the irregular simple past and past participles of Dutch verbs. Everyone agreed, though not happily – except one woman who wanted to kick my arse no doubt! Anyway, the test is tonight and I am not ready! I have been having nightmares about irregular past tenses. Last night I studied and studied and my brain doesn’t remember anything. Me and my stupid ideas. With that said though, boy is it high time I know all these verbs so it serves me freaking right. Once a teacher, always a teacher I guess – I just couldn’t help but ask to have a test – it’s the only way to learn these things – to memorize, memorize, memorize! But once a dumb-ass, always a dumb-ass! I am a good teacher but a very bad student and I suck at Dutch!!! That’s not true but it remains my biggest frustration in life here in Belgium for sure.

Anyway, other than that, all that is on my mind today is that America really needs to improve its gun laws big time! What a horrid tragedy yet again…

And up above there you can see Face The Day google hits Erika Dioniso, Neil Smith and their newborn baby whose face I have finally seen (thanks to Dennis Bailey and my good friend Rachel Ames sending me photos!), Oscar Charles Dionisio Smith!! Good work! I mention Dennis Bailey and Rachel Ames because it is time they became Face The Day google hits too! Now all I need are some photos of them! I don't even know if they ever look at this blog but I guess if they ever google their own names, they will! Anyway - back to Oscar Charles Dionisio Smith - isn't he cute! His parents aren't bad either, even though they look very tired. Tired but beautiful and happy!

Monday 16 April 2007: Heidi is your Face The Day host today as Sarah tries to make it through her apple...

Sarah says:
Can't talk - apple in my mouth. It's Heidi's turn. She’s got the floor folks. About time she shares photos of her weekend with you. I have been in control of Face The Day for far too long now… Do take a moment to notice the girls in their summer dresses in the photo above… Isn’t this weather grand?!

Heidi says: Hello! Thank you for the floor Sarah! I sure had the floor on Saturday! It was paaaaarty taaaaam! Too bad you (I mean, everybody) weren't there! But hey, luckily Katrijn and Hans were there! Look how good they look!

Sunday 15 April 2007: Sarah escapes into the forest in Bellegem, wants you to meet Oscar Charles Dionisio Smith and reflects on past car rides...

Heidi says: Today we celebrated Wout his birthday. On the picture with Wout (left) and Alexander (right) you can see that we are having fun! Right then, we were talking about people who fall and how funny that is. It was a great day!

Sarah says:
I finally saw the new home of my friend AVDG in Bellegem and while there took a walk in the woods and was surrounded by tall trees and beautiful flowers. Of course I stopped and smelled the flowers. That's what this weekend has been all about. Lovely weather, nature, sunshine, happy time (as Borat would say)! I couldn't feel more relaxed. The worst thing and only bad thing about this weekend was watching the last DVD of Season 1 Battlestar Galactica and thinking there were 4 episodes to go and then realizing at the end of the one we watched that it was the only one on the disc and the last one of that season! Now all we can do is wait and wonder until we get season 2!

Sarah continues: And the BEST thing about this weekend was of course the birth of Oscar Charles Dionisio Smith to Face The Day google hits Erika Dionisio and Neil Smith. The above photo is the only one I have received so far (from Mona's cell phone, thanks!)! You can see Erika more than you can see Oscar. I'm going mad over here waiting for a photo. I haven't even gotten to speak to Erika on the phone yet!!! But she looks great in the photo with babe in arms. I can't wait to meet that little baby in October when I go to New York for Erika and Neil's wedding!

And of course it is Sunday so it is fave-Post-Secret-entry-of-the-week time. I chose the below one about sometimes wanting to jump out of the car and run as far as you can away from the people in the car with you. Well, there weren't too many entries this week that hit home with me but this one sure did - in terms of the past - in terms of childhood memories. As a kid, some of my worst moments and therefore memories took place in cars. There are probably few things worse than being trapped in the back of a car while the two people in the front seats are fighting and fighting... I am sure lots of kids from divorced parents can relate to that feeling all too well. Your world caves in at those moments. You fill up with fear. You feel like your protectors are not going to be there for you - that at any moment everything will all fall apart and it will feel like a crash. You find your escape mechanisms. You pretend to sleep but still listen because you can't turn it off. Or you learn how to disassociate and go to some other realm. Or you cry silently. Or you burn and rage inside and want to scream. Or you shout something out and get shouted at back. However you look at it, it's a horrid trap that kids go through. Helpless at those moments and witnesses of bad, adult behavior. Some of my earliest memories are about this sort of situation. The past is the past and bygones are bygones but the Post Secret card brought some of those memories back. Jeez - if my husband and I even dare to fight in front of our kid, which is very rarely because we save our big blow-ups for the second she steps out of the house it seems, she calls us on it and tells us to stop because she is a kid and doesn't want to hear us because it scares her, etcetera... She's right... but with that said, we parents are not perfect and always being your best self for your kids is very difficult because each one of us is flawed of course...my parents were and so am I. But one mistake I did try to learn from was the car fights. I really try to guard my kid from witnessing those because of how badly they used to make me feel...